Staten Island, NY, July 5th, 2006 Â¨C Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Strategic Studies Group (www.ssg.com.au) are very pleased to announce their partnership to release Battlefront, an all-new wargame system that simulates battalion-scale combat in the largest cauldron of war humanity has known: World War II.

Battlefront features the power of battalion-level combat in some of this period's most bloody and intense conflicts: Saipan, Market Garden, Novorossisk, and Gazala. Players will have realistic control over their soldiers, with a tactical scale just large enough to make a telling difference in the strategic picture.

David Heath, Operations Manager of Matrix Games, said "We are truly pleased to work with a talented and established developer like SSG in bringing this product to the market. Our philosophies share much the same beliefs, in that wargames are meant to be fun, approachable, and challenging."

Gregor Whiley, Vice President of Strategic Studies, said "We are delighted to be working with Matrix Games again. This year will be the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the original Battlefront game. We believe that the new Battlefront system will set new standards for wargaming, just as the first Battlefront did"

While the Battlefront system shares a design philosophy with SSG's award-winning Decisive Battles series, it is actually an entirely new system specifically designed for battalion-level combat. This level of play gives the player a chance to experience true issues of command, control, sighting, and supply at a level that emphasizes plenty of tough but enjoyable decisions to make. The combat system provides new and varied ways to damage your opponent, with provisions for direct and indirect fire, air strikes, and special, historically-accurate combat modes (such as Japanese Banzai attacks).

Players will have full control over the off-map movement of their units; players can move units in special off-map areas, getting realistic control over where and when to employ their reinforcements. Opponents will never be entirely sure where and when these units will arrive, increasing the tension
and fun.

Battlefront is due for release by August, 2006.

Features of the new Battlefront system include:

Â¡Ã± Improved Strategic AI enables a more flexible response to fast changing battlefields
Â¡Ã± Improved user interface simplifies unit information
Â¡Ã± Command and control system that rewards correct employment of military assets
Â¡Ã± Close combat routines have special attack modes such as Banzai, Surprise and Infiltration
Â¡Ã± Indirect Fire from artillery and air assets can directly attack enemy units
Â¡Ã± Direct fire from AFVs can attack enemy units at range
Â¡Ã± Counter-battery fire can eliminate enemy artillery
Â¡Ã± Eliminated units can be rebuilt as cadres and returned to battle
Â¡Ã± Sighting, command, supply and danger zone rules encourage sensible use of artillery
Â¡Ã± Complete Unit, Map and AI editor allows users to create scenarios from scratch
Â¡Ã± Improved Play By Email security

ABOUT MATRIX GAMES
Matrix Games produces, markets and publishes historical wargames as well as other computer gaming products. Since 2000, Matrix Games has published over three dozen titles and several award-winning games, including War in the Pacific, Highway to the Reich, Gary Grigsby's World At War, Flashpoint Germany, Battles In Normandy, Starshatter and Tin Soldiers: Julius Caesar. Matrix Games is based in Staten Island, New York. For more information, visit the Matrix Games website at www.matrixgames.com.

ABOUT STRATEGIC STUDIES GROUP
Strategic Studies Group (SSG) was founded in Australia during the 1980s by Roger Keating and Ian Trout with the release of their first game, Reach for the Stars. Over the last twenty years and over fifty computer games, SSG has grown from a fledgling company to one of the driving forces in Computer Strategy in the world today. SSGÂ¡Â¯s Decisive Battles series has won as much acclaim as any modern wargame. For more information, visit the SSG website at www.ssg.com.au.